Kylian Mbappe scored three times after signing his new Paris Saint-Germain contract as the Ligue 1 champions rounded off the season with a 5-0 win at home to Metz.
The 23-year-old addressed a packed out Parc des Princes prior to kick-off after turning down Real Madrid’s advances and committing his future in the French capital until 2025.
Defeat for Metz meant that they have been relegated to Ligue 2 after Saint-Etienne earned a point at Nantes.
Though PSG ran out routine winners in the end, they were given a bit of a scare early on after Farid Boulaya had an effort tipped onto the post by Keylor Navas, while a couple of crosses scythed right through their six-yard box.
But Mbappe broke the deadlock midway through the first half with a rather trademark goal, racing onto a through ball from the departing Angel Di Maria and rounding Marc-Aurele Caillard to sweep home.
Mbappe only had to wait three minutes to register his second of the evening, meeting Lionel Messi’s pass and firing in at the near post from an acute angle.
PSG were in a groove and added a wonderful third through Neymar, tapping into what was essentially an empty net after Kiki Kouyate denied Di Maria from scoring himself when one-on-one with Caillard.
A marvellous fourth goal somehow went begging after Neymar picked out Mbappe with a glorious dink, only for the man of the hour to scuff his shot from close range.
Just after the break, Di Maria looped a pinpoint ball over the top for Neymar to meet, but just as it looked like he would shoot, he cut it back to Mbappe to try and grab his hat-trick, but his strike was blocked.
The 23-year-old didn’t have to wait too long to secure the match ball however, robbing Kouyate of possession and again taking it round Caillard to grab PSG’s fourth of the night.
Metz’s night went from bad to worse when Boubacar Traore received a second yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Neymar.
Mbappe looked hungry for more and rattled the post from mere yards out when it seemed harder to miss, and Di Maria’s curling effort was well-held by Caillard.
But Di Maria managed to grab his farewell goal after Messi was next to hit the post, being first to the rebound and being reduced to tears.
Substitute Georginio Wijnaldum went close late but PSG had to settle for just the five goals on the night. Here’s how they rated…
GK: Keylor Navas – 6/10 – Called into action on a few occasions but stood tall. His substitution suggests this was his last game for the club.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 7/10 – Galloped forward down the right with relative ease.
CB: Marquinhos – 6/10 – Did his job well for the most part.
CB: Sergio Ramos – 5/10 – Found it tough dealing with Didier Lamkel Ze at times.
LB: Presnel Kimpembe – 6/10 – Looked quite natural at left-back.
CM: Danilo Pereira – 6/10 – Broke up play well and handed most creative responsibilities to his midfield partner.
CM: Marco Verratti – 7/10 – A joy to watch. Danced his way through the middle and picked out some great passes.
RM: Angel Di Maria – 10/10 – His final game for PSG was a memorable one, torturing Metz every time he was in possession. Given a huge standing ovation and guard of honour when subbed off.
AM: Lionel Messi – 9/10 – Played like a traditional number ten, scarcely moving but looking mesmeric whenever he had the ball.
LM: Neymar – 9/10 – Clearly looked buoyed by news of Mbappe’s extension, ripping Metz apart as if he was playing at his peak.
CF: Kylian Mbappe – 10/10 – The perfect way to round off a perfect day. He’s remained professional and put in top performances in recent weeks but took his game to another level here.
SUB: Ander Herrera (75′ for Di Maria) – N/A.
SUB: Georginio Wijnaldum (79′ for Verratti) – N/A.
SUB: Idrissa Gueye (79′ for Neymar) – N/A.
SUB: Alexandre Letellier (83′ for Navas) – N/A.
SUB: Thilo Kehrer (83′ for Hakimi) – N/A.
